The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1887-06-30

Inere are guards ana sentr1es, plckete
and patrols, firing Of morning and even
Ing guns, locking up Of gates, and regu-
lations for the exclusion Of aliens
unprovided with ofiicial passes--in .
void, all the pomp and circumstance, n
not Of glorious war, at any rate Of vigi-
liant peace, fully prepared to draw the
sword 1t any moment. The stranger, Of
course, hurries OF at once to see the gal
leries; and here the first impression is
most gratifying to his national pride.
He climbs the northwest and north face
Of the rock by series Of cyclopean tun-
nels, pierced at intervals by cell-like en-
brasures, each Of which contains gun
and pile Of ammunition ready for use;
while branching of from the main gal
leries are other tunnels, which lead 10
the powder magazines and stores hewn
out Of the very bowels Of the mountain.
It ID impossible not to be struck with
the enormous amount Of labor which
has been expended in constructing these
vast works, especially those executed
during the great siege-(1779-S -S8) the
third attempt which was made in the
eighteenth century to wrest from our
hands the key OF the Mediterranean.
The views from the embrasure are most
picturesque, and at every moment recall
some fresh incident of that magnificent
defense when the British garrison of
5000 men successfully held their own
against $1,000 French and Spanish
troops, supported by Q fleet Of forty
seven ships of -the-line. A long steep
climb In mysterious semi-darkness brings
you to great cavern full of guns, and
you look out to the northward over the
Spanish lines into Spain, with the glo.
rfous panorama of the purple sharp.
peaked mountains of Ronda stretching
Far away to the eastward toward Malaga.
This battery 10 many hundred feet above
the sea-level; the cliff out Of which It ID
cut 10 almost perpendicular. Far be-
low you 10 the north front, with .
line battalion at drill, looking for all the
world like little red ants. All this 10
classic ground; for It is the scene Of the
great sortie Of November, 1881, when
1900 British troops sailed forth against
the besieging armies, attacked and do
stroyed their batteries and spiked their
most destructive guns. In still higher
gallery 10 the embrasure through which
banking fire u directed along the eastern
face Of the rock, designed to prevent any
repetition Of the daring enterprise Of
l704, when, during the first siege, which
followed close upon our capture Of ths
fortress, the gallant Figueroa succeeded,
with 500 spaniards, In scaling this tre-
mendous precipice.
Az long ~ the visitor remains in the
galleries he 10 in measure under the
spell Of these stirring memories; he
fondly persuades himself that in our
hands the rock 10 still an impregnable
fortress. But, as soon a. he returns to
the town and calmly thinks over all that
be has seen, It strikes him that he has
been under some illusion. He remem-
bers that there are very few fairly mod
ern decent-sized guns mounted in the
galleries. There are some 60-pounder
guns, but the enormous majority of the
cannon which guard the land approaches
to the Rock of Gibraltar are Incredible
- 1t may seem) )smooth-bore 82-pounders.
There 10 battery immediately In front
Of the cas1mate barracks ct Landport
Gate, meant to sweep the neck Of
land which connects Gibraltar with
Spain. This battery Il armed, not
with machine-guns, not with quick-fring
shell-guns, bat with 80 and 3-poundet
smooth-bore muxxle-loading cannon
There 10 not machine-gun or quick
firing shell-gun on the rock and, to tell
the painful truth, the only really modern
seryiceable cannon In the place are two
l00-ton guns and four S6-ton guns.
These are fred once . year In fear and
trembling lest evil should befall tn em.
the majority of the guns are 80 and a.
~rvsn dsea 18th snvrnS favv hoo War v{acaa
none of which, however, would produce
much effect upon Q first-class ironclad.
Thus to defend ourselves against bonn
bardment by an enemy's feet we can
only rely ON two guns Of 100 tons and
four Of 50 tons; surely . most dan.
gerously insufficient armament in these
days.
In another respect, again, Gibraltar ID
deficient - . base Of operations. Not
only would II need much protection from
The navy, and thus hamper the move
ments Of our ships. but Il possesses NO
dock whore any serious Injury 70 an
ironclad could Be repaired. In peace
time this want is not felt. There is every
appliance for repairing ships at Malta,
and ON the Atlantic side Of Gibraltar
the Spaniards have Q dock ct Cadiz,
which would, however, obviously be
closed against 10 In time Of war.
II 10 easy to imagine Q naval battle
In the Mediterranean by which our
ships might BE- cut OF from Malta
and bs compelled IN damaged condition
70 pass The uselsss rock and cross the
Bay Of 1iscay hsfcrs reaching doct.
population Of Gibraltar, the merchants
and tradipg claases, are anxious to build
4 AnNk <<ap NSasnunnpo1a1 and
have offered to do 20 q their own ex-
penss and to Yield 70 government Inn
pogtant rights over Il II the authorities
WIN give them sits for the purpose, IN
o&ef which appeaFs 70 have bean con-
dgned 70 that o11cial limbo whore every
thing receives s'eazsful confederation"
A. Aygse9siate Nsns.
"yohn, I'D you ever observe the fondness